IT'S TIME!!!! China Trip July 5th-23rd

Well….it’s finally here.  In less than a week, we will be meeting our daughter (and Wes his sister) for the very first time.  We leave on Wednesday, July 5^th and will be returning home on Sunday, July 23^rd. 

 Below is a very brief itinerary of what we’ll be doing and where we’ll be going in China.  Arrangements are still being made for flights and hotels and the details are being set.  We’d appreciate your continued prayer support.  Updates will be done via text and email to our families and some pictures will be posted on this blog and Facebook upon our return home.

Beijing and Hohhot (Inner Mongolia) are located in Northeast China.  Guangzhou and Hong Kong are located in Southern China.  Weather will be in the 80’s-mid-90’s.  The humidity will be much stronger in Guangzhou and Hong Kong than in Beijing and Hohhot.  China is 12 hours ahead of us.  There will be much jet lag.

July 5-6^th- travel days- we leave Philly at 5:15 am on July 5^th and arrive in Beijing at 2:15 pm on July 6^th.  A total of 20ish travel hours.
July 7^th-8^th- Touristy things in Beijing- The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, local touring (we will have a guided tour)
July 9^th- fly to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia (Jiao’s province)
July 10^th- Gotcha Day!
July 11^th-12^th- paperwork, resting, local touring
July 13^th- fly to Guangzhou
July 14^th- medical appointments
July 15^th-16^th- weekend- resting/local touring
July 17^th- consulate day
July 18^th-19^th- paperwork, resting, local touring
July 20^th- van ride to Hong Kong
July 21-22^nd- local touring in Hong Kong
July 22^nd- our flight leaves Hong Kong at 2:30 pm
July 23^rd- we arrive back in Philly at 12:45 am.  A total of 22ish travel hours.

Prayer Requests:

·         Our travel goes smoothly.  At this point, because flights were arranged last minute, we only have one leg in which we are together as a family of four.  The other flights we are separated.  Mike and Sarah (Sam’s sister and her hubby) will be traveling with us.  Pray that their travel goes smoothly so that we can all meet up in Beijing.

·         Jet lag and time difference aren’t too much for us to handle.  Emotions will be running high on top of being extra tired.  We will be sharing a hotel room with one or two toddlers (by the end of the trip).

·         There will be MANY cultural differences including language, food, etiquette, population, maneuvering throughout the cities, being in the minority.

·         Health and safety on the trip- we’re armed with antibiotics and stomach meds as well as several over the counter medicines in the event that something happens. 

·         Transitioning from a family of 3 to a family of 4—changes for Jiao, changes for Wes, changes for all of us.  All of this will begin and continue once we arrive home.  Pray that we’re able to bond while in China and begin forging a relationship with Jiao as her mommy, daddy, and brother (as well as aunt and uncle for Mike and Sarah). 

·         Pray that while our focus will be on Jiao, that Wesley’s needs are met as well. 

·         We have been waiting for updated measurements and a developmental update from the orphanage, but have not received one yet.  Pray that our anxieties related to Jiao’s health will be soothed as we gain more information and interact with her during our trip.

·         When we arrive home, we will be “cocooning” for a couple of weeks—limiting the amount of physical contact that people outside of our family have with Jiao so that we can begin the bonding process and help her to learn the differences between mommy, daddy, family members, friends, etc.